Society welcomes European approval for threatened drug treatments

Professor Clive Ballard, director of research at the Alzheimer's Society says,

'We welcome the news that the European committee has extended the approval of Ebixa for use in the moderate stages of Alzheimer's disease. Since the drug treatment was licensed in 2002 for moderately severe to severe Alzheimer's disease thousands of people have benefited from its use. For example, people experience improvements in their memory and ability to carry out daily tasks, such as eating a meal unaided. We hope that this decision will mean that across Europe more people with dementia will have access to potentially beneficial treatment.

Recent studies have also indicated that there may be additional benefits in combining Ebixa with cholinesterase inhibitors such as Aricept and preliminary evidence that Ebixa may help improve behavioural symptoms in people with dementia, so it is vital that as many people as possible have access to this treatment.

However, it is paradoxical that as Europe looks to extend the availability of Ebixa, the UK's National Institute for Clinical and Health Excellence (NICE) is recommending that the drug is not made available to people with dementia on the NHS because of cost. If NICE's guidance is not reversed Britain is in danger of becoming the poor relation of Europe for dementia care.'

The Alzheimer's Society is leading Action on Alzheimer's Drugs, an alliance of over thirty organisations campaigning to keep dementia drugs on the NHS. NICE has recommended that the only four licensed drug treatments for people with Alzheimer's disease be withdrawn because of cost.

For further information, contact the Alzheimer's Society press office.

Notes for editors

• The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) announced on 14 October 2005 its decision to extend Ebixa's current indication (moderately severe to severe disease) to include moderate stages of Alzheimer's disease.
• On 1 March 2005 the National Institute of Clinical Excellence issued draft guidance stating that drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease should be withdrawn from the NHS because of cost. The final decision on NICE's health technology appraisal is now expected early in 2006, in the meantime people with dementia should continue to receive drug treatments on the NHS.
• The drug treatments under review are Aricept, Exelon, Reminyl and Ebixa.  Aricept, Exelon and Reminyl were recommended for prescription by the NHS for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease in 2001. Ebixa is licensed for prescription for moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease; no NICE guidance on Ebixa has been published yet.
• The Alzheimer's Society is the UK's leading care and research charity for people with dementia and their carers.
• Over 750,000 people in the UK have dementia. More than half have Alzheimer's disease.
• Dementia affects one in 20 people over the age of 65 and one in five over the age of 80.
• There are 18,500 people in the UK under the age of 65 with dementia.
• For information and advice on Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia call the Alzheimer's Society national helpline on 0845 300 0336.
• Our website address is http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/.